Why Won't My Featherlite Weed Eater Spin?

Your Weed Eater Featherlite operates with a single-piston, gas-powered engine. The piston attaches to the crankshaft, which in turn connects to the flywheel. When the crankshaft and flywheel spin they engage the drive shaft inside the drive tube, which then activates the gearbox and the cutting head. Many problems, such as a jammed head, can cause your Weed Eater to stop spinning.

Long, thick weeds have a tendency to wrap themselves around the spool, the head, and can even get inside the gearbox. If these weeds aren't cleared immediately, they can clog up the spinning head, stopping it in its tracks. Check for weeds and grasses every time you replace the trimmer line and after you cut down those thick patches. You can clear the jams with your fingers, but occasionally they may get wrapped so tight you’ll need a knife to cut them free.

The gearbox on the end of the shaft, while not motorized, does have several inter-working gears that allow the head to spin. These gears can get jammed up by dirt and even small rocks, which will cause the plastic gears to break. If you suspect your problem lies in the gearbox, disconnect it from the shaft and disassemble it. Look for signs of heavy wear and tear and properly connect the gearbox to the drive shaft.

Inside the drive tube, a drive shaft spins around and transfers engine power to the cutting head. The tube can get bent or cracked, causing enough pressure to make the drive shaft stop spinning. The drive shaft also needs enough lubrication to reduce friction while moving. When the drive shafts get old, they lose their lubrication and stop spinning, requiring a new drive shaft and even a new drive tube. If you suspect the drive shaft, pull it out of the tube and inspect for cracks or bends and properly lubricate it. A disconnected throttle cable, which sits on the rear handle on the drive tube, can also cause a loss of power transfer from the engine to the head.

If the starter rope won’t spin and the engine won’t crank, you likely have a problem in the flywheel or crankshaft. The flywheel mates with the crankshaft stub through a part called a key. If you drop or mishandle the trimmer, you can bend the key so the flywheel no longer spins on the crankshaft. When this happens nothing will move on the engine. The crankshaft, if it’s seized up, won’t move up and down in the cylinder and the engine is basically shot. When this happens though, you won’t be able to pull the rope out. Nothing will move, and you won’t get the engine started.